If you like jewelry and Hollywood, the two are the inspiration behind “More Is More: Tony Duquette-Hutton Wilkinson Jewelry,” which opens today at GIA’s (Gemological Institute of America) world headquarters in Carlsbad.

The show features the work of the two longtime collaborators, who created jewelry designs for more than 30 years. Duquette, who died in 1999, is the first and only American to be showcased in a one-man show at the Louvre in Paris.

Their long list of famous clients included the Duchess of Windsor, J. Paul Getty and Elizabeth Arden. Wilkinson continues to design for the “Tony Duquette Collection.”

Terri Ottaway, GIA’s museum curator, took some time from schedule to answer some questions about the exhibit:

What makes this exhibit unique?

The goal of this exhibit is to engage and inspire. To look beyond the gems themselves. To have fun. And to highlight a Hollywood legend.

Our museum isn’t a typical one because of what we do here at GIA – we teach gemology, jewelry design and manufacturing. Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson were unconventional in all of these disciplines, and to have an exhibit like this helps us teach a new world of gemology. By stepping outside the box, they were able to create wild, fun, avant-garde pieces; it’s a fashionable, yet unique way of looking at colored gems and ornamental material. These emblematic jewelry creations are extravagant, opulent and over-the-top … in the words of Hutton, “if it’s not fabulous, it’s meaningless.”

How did the exhibit come about?

We were introduced to Hutton Wilkinson about two years ago at a trunk show, and have been getting to know him ever since. His passion is infectious, and he’s really kept Tony’s aesthetic alive all these years. Hutton actually hand-selected the pieces in this exhibit himself, which include a combination of jewelry from private collectors and the Anthony and Elizabeth Duquette Foundation for the Living Arts.

More Is More: Tony Duquette-Hutton Wilkinson Jewelry exhibit

When: Through March 31. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Open house Friday, Oct. 11, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Talk a little bit about the significance of this body of work by Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson – and why it’s such a coup to be showcasing them at the GIA?

Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson’s jewelry is truly iconic. Not only was Tony an Academy Award-winning set designer, but he was the first American to be honored with a one-man show at the Louvre in Paris in 1951. The Duchess of Windsor, Doris Duke, Buddy Rogers, J. Paul Getty and Elizabeth Arden were among he and Hutton’s many famous clients.

What’s fascinating is that Tony started out as an artist working in stage design, interior décor and costumes during the Golden Age of Hollywood – his path to jewelry design was quite unconventional. Hutton tells a story about one of their many trips around the world where they purchased bags upon bags of colorful gems and began constructing one-of-a-kind pieces in their hotel rooms, not really even knowing what materials they were using. This was just the beginning of their journey into the jewelry world. Their eye for color, combinations of materials, and re-using and salvaging is almost unheard of. It’s amazing to see the unusual gemstone choices they made – and astonishing to see how well these unusual materials work together.